Sara Fernandez died last November 29 on her way to Valdemoro prison, in Madrid, to visit her partner, Iñaki Etxeberria. Izaskun Urkijo, another prisoner’s partner, who was in the same car as the deceased young woman, was seriously injured. The latter is in hospital and her condition is still serious. The young woman has a brain oedema, a bad blow on her chest resulting in injury to the lungs, cracked cervical vertebrae and both collarbones, pelvis one arm and several ribs broken. She is in Valladolid hospital.

Sara, who was 34 years old, was on her way to Valdemoro jail to visit her partner, a prisoner from Iruñea who, although usually in Algeciras jail, is now in Valdemoro due to court proceedings. Sara’s is the third death this year due to the policy of dispersal. Argi Iturralde and Iñaki Balerdi, prisoner Juan Crlos Balerdi´s mother and brother, died on February 28 on their way to a visit in Almeria prison, as we informed in our 2nd Bulletin. Fourteen Basque prisoners’ relatives and friends have died on Spanish roads on their way to or from visits since the policy of dispersal began.

As well as these tragic fatal car accidents, Basque prisoners’ relatives and friends have suffered 23 accidents on the road since January 12 on their way to or from prisons far away from their hometowns. We would like to underline the fact that thousands of people have to take to the road every weekend on their way to tens of distant prisons, whatever the weather conditions and usually with a tight time schedule; all in order to visit their loved ones for forty minutes.

The organisation Etxerat criticised the authorities having been silent about this tragic event. They rejected the Regional Basque Government’s position, saying “Ibarretxe [the PM] is capable of condemning an act of sabotage against an automatic teller but remains silent about Sara and Izaskun”. Furthermore, they denounced the fact that these accidents are a consequence of the cruel strategy devised against the Basque political prisoners, which condemns friends and families to travel hundreds and thousands of kilometres every weekend, with the serious risk to their lives that this implies. They asked how many more relatives must die before this added punishment to the Basque prisoners is ended.

Accidents during 2003

12 January – Bittor Galarza’s partner, his daughter and two friends have an accident on their way back from Dueñas jail (Palencia). The car is badly damaged and one of the victims has to wear a collar for a week.

8 February – a dangerous overtaking by another vehicle causes a car crash involving Gartzen Garaio’s aunt and parents, who were on their way to visit him in Soto del Real (Madrid). They suffer slight injuries and the car was badly damaged.

17 February – Iñaki Jaio and Joxe Mari Beristain’s relatives involved in an accident with no personal injuries and damage to the car while travelling to Zuera (Zaragoza).

28 February – Argi Iturralde (73 years old) and Iñaki Balerdi (43), Juankar Balerdi’s mother and brother die in an accident almost 1000 kilometres away from home, on their way to visit him in Almeria. The father, Joxe Balerdi, is seriously injured.

14 March – Also travelling to Almeria, two friends and two relatives of Eugenio Irastorza’s have an accident with no injuries in Madrid.

16 March – The car in which Zigor Bravo’s partner and a friend were travelling is destroyed upon going off the road on the way to Navalcarnero (Madrid)

30 March – Three friends of Jose Manuel Errazkin have an accident on their way back from Topas (Salamanca). The car is a write-off and one of the friends sustains a broken collarbone. The other two sustain bruising all over the body.

5 April – Igor Fernandez’ parents are unhurt following an accident in Asturias, on their way to Curtis, in Galicia. They have to finish their trip in a taxi and return in a rented car.

17 May – The car in which four relatives of Oskarbi Jauregi are travelling crashes into a deer in Pancorbo.

31 May – the car in which two friends of Iñaki Urdiain and Iñaki Beaumont were returning from Granada crashes down a cliff upon avoiding a load that had dropped from a car in front of them. Severe damage to the vehicle and bruises on both prisoners’ friends.

7 June – A friend of Paul Asensio, who he had just been visiting in Aranjuez, has an accident in Briviesca (Burgos) when another vehicle invaded the lane and forced him off the road. The car was a write off and the driver had to wear a collar.

30 June – Relatives of prisoners Joxe Blanco and Karlos Garrido, jailed in Navalcarnero (Madrid), crash into a lorry that invaded their lane in front of them in Alcorcon and are crashed into by another car. One of the seven Basque citizens was taken into hospital and all of them, including three children, sustained various bruising.

23 August – bad accident involving Bittor Cerrada’s relatives a few kilometres before Topas prison (Salamanca). The driver in the other car sustained light injuries after the car rolled over three times due to the impact.

13 September – Ainhoa Gutierrez’ parents crash into the central division of the motorway south of Madrid, on their way to Albolote jail (Granada).

20 September – Endika Lejarzegi’s relatives involved in an accident on their way back from Aranjuez (Madrid). His mother sustains a sprained leg and has to wear a collar. The other three people in the car sustain slight injuries.

18 October – Three friends of Jorge Txokarro go off the road on a bend and a tyre bursts. They were travelling to Cordoba.

25 October – The car in which two friends of Aurken Sola were returning from Alcala-Meco crashes into a wall in Cintruenigo. One of them sustains a cervical sprain and the other one has injuries in his hands.

1 November – Two friends of Javier Lazkano, jailed in Alcazar de San Juan (Ciudad Real), suffer extensive bruising due to an accident that happened when the driver alongside them on the road fell asleep and crashed into them close to Getafe (Madrid). They also missed the visit.

29 November – Sara Fernandez dies in the accident she suffered together with Izaskun Urkijo, who is severely injured, on their way to see Iñaki Etxeberria and Iker Zubia, jailed in Valdemoro (Madrid). The accident occurred in Aranda de Duero (Burgos).

19 December – five women have an accident in Madrid, on their way to Almeria prison. Although they were not hurt, the car was completely destroyed.